DH comes to an end :(

And my favorite American show came to an end :(
Desperate Housewives was an amazing show. And, if you haven't watched it ever and are going by the name, "NO, it was not about sex!". It was an emotional drama with elements of comedy and suspense thrown in each of the 8 seasons.
I started watching this show only 2 years ago. So, I covered their journey of 8 long years in just 2 short years, thanks to the online episodes. But am devastated and I feel really sad, minutes ago saw the finale episode and can completely imagine what fans all over the world (who had been following it since past 8 yrs) may be going through.

Critics and reviewers say that the past few seasons had lost their charm and that the TRPs were dropping. But you know what "I don't CARE!". It made the perfect connection with me and I enjoyed each and every season. It entertained me, made me both laugh and cry and that I believe is its biggest achievement.
So, I thank Marc Cherry, the creator and the wonderful team of writers and many others who created this beautiful series. The actors were so good, that I won't say I'l miss Eva or Felicity but I'l say I will miss Gaby, Lynette, Susan and Bree :)

This show was crafted through a brilliant story, so 3 cheers to the writers, and also credit goes to all the actors as they executed their roles perfectly. As far as I am concerned, no kidding I'l feel the void (I still feel it for my second favorite show- 'Lost') and I will miss watching it.

There are NO shows that come close to giving such an emotional experience and attachment to viewers as this one. DH, you will be missed.

When dreams come true.....

I clearly remember the day, it was in 2010, during my final year of journalism. I was interning at Centre for Environment Education (CEE) and for a research assignment I had landed up in Centre for Media Studies (CMS).

I don't remember the assignment too well, but do remember that I wanted to visit the library to watch a documentary- 'Don't Rubbish It'. Little did I know that the 9min documentary would shape my so called 'interest area'. A minute or so in the documentary was devoted to composting. And it was then that I got to know about this lovely organisation called Daily Dump in Bangalore (http://dailydump.org/).

The Director Ms.Poonam Bir Kasturi has designed a series of products suitable for household composting.

I fell in love (not kidding!) with the three tier khamba model. It was beautiful and could be kept anywhere (verandah or balcony) and what I liked the most was: It made composting so much more easier!

Looking back, I feel this encounter was one of the many reasons why I chose my Masters in Sustainable Development Practice, after a journalism degree. And "no regrets" is what I'l say :)

Roughly a year later, when it was time for my summer internship, the choice was obvious: Something to do with solid waste management. Previously, through an assignment I had conceptualized a small project proposal of a community awareness project using the same model. It turned out to be good on paper and I thought why not pass it around, seek a grant and actually implement it! So 2011 summer was spent in 'dreaming' about this project of mine. My idea was to reach out to urban homes through a network of 'kitchen garden ladies'. Yes, you'l be surprised to know, something like an All India Kitchen Garden Association exists in our world!

And this network was wide spread in South Delhi colonies, as I got to know. So, for start I attended one such meet in my own colony- Sarita Vihar. I knew one of the aunties who was a member. So, I tagged along one day and did an experiment. I carried some pics of the pot and a self-compiled pamphlet using the information given on the Dailydump website. And the response was good.

Out of the 11 ladies present, almost all of them found the pot very pretty and something they could actually keep at their place (Acceptability checked!)

3 of them wanted to order one instantly, 5 wanted to see the pot in person and then decide. Remaining were a bit skeptical because of the price (Rs.1000) (Affordability-almost checked)

But, currently the nearest Dailydump clone (they believe in creative commons approach) was in Gurgaon. So getting the pots was an issue (Accessibility- needs attention)

Next, I made a trip, the most memorable one. I contacted the clone- Jaya aunty and I travelled 3 hrs (to and fro) in metro from Jasola to Gurgaon, just to see the pots and interact with her. I had decided, one day I'l acquire cloneship, find a local potter and start supplying them locally.

The visit was fulfilling, enchanting and exciting. I found the common factor of passion between us. Aunty has been a clone since 3 yrs and devotes her weekends in making people aware about the practice through demonstrations etc. She stocks the terracota pots in her backyward and verandah and receives most of her orders through the DailyDump website.

I was inspired and I told her my plans. She supported me and told me that they needed a clone in Delhi!

So time flew, college took over my routine and one fine day I got the good news! As part of British Council's International Climate Champion programme, I was in the 'Social Action Project' team of their National Action Project. Two of our team's ideas got selected to receive a small funding (One was mine :D).

This was December. Today, is 6th May and finally after a long long wait I brought two sets of these beautiful pots home. What caused the delay was a mix of problems like: Logistics, Supply-side issues, erratic supply from potter's side!

But the important thing is, they are here :) and they are the apple of my eyes :p

I drove for more than an hour, took my parents along and stuffed the pots into our Swift! One set is for my own use, and the other set is for the demo events (planned up for the coming few months).

Last when  I had contacted the Kitchen Garden Association head, she was ready to give me slots to speak. But back then, I was not ready. Over the time, I have prepared myself and I am ready to kickstart my dream project.

The grant is waiting to be used, infact funding requirement for my project is mainly for meeting the travel expenditure. Thats all! There is very little cost in advertising, promotion. Since, the pot and me are enough to make people aware :)

My ultimate dream/mission is to make the urban residents adopt the practice of composting so that we handle our own waste responsibly. And send less waste to the landfill and more importantly send 'unmixed' waste. You see, by composting at home we'l all be segregating waste automatically (a habit missing in us!).

Coincidentally, this legendary day as I call it marks the beginning of 'International Composting Awareness Week' (May 6-12) http://www.compostweek.com.au/core/background/

I would like to believe some things are destined :)

I will be posting about composting on my new blog: http://come-n-post.blogspot.in/

Join me there! Till then, DREAM ON... because they come true :)

Solar paradox- A visit to Dilli 6!

So here goes a follow-up post which was promised, on the Lajpat Rai Market visit.

Today, on a hot summer day, I set out with a friend of mine to 'validate the solar paradox' (in his words!). Now the Dainik Jagran clipping did not mention the name of the shop, so we reached Chandni Chowk metro station, only with this little information: We had to find Mr. Harsh Jagga's shop in Lajpat Rai Market. After inquiring from here and there, we managed to reach the market, which was right next to Bhagirath Palace (the biggest light market, had explored all of it two years back for light shopping for my new home).

As we moved around the narrow bylanes, we saw a few solar panels kept outside some shops, but I was rather adamant to locate the same shop which was featured in the story. Managed to find it, and we began our little investigation, with me clutching to the news clipping (yes, I carried it!).

No beating around the bush, here is what we found: The 'cheap' solar panels worth Rs.60 per watt are not made in China rather their cell is imported duty-free (that explains the subsidized cost) and assembled by an Indian company in Hyderabad (see pic below). Also, it had essentially the same guarantee period as offered by the Indian made panels (10years!).

The chinese made, imported panels are more cheaper but they don't carry any guarantee. The most popular item in his shop, was a solar mobile charger worth Rs.350.

He also had panels offered by companies like Tata BP solar, but they were priced at Rs.95 per watt. He said, even the government sells these panels at higher rates and they are not readily available to the general public. Like the biggest client of Tata is the railways.

So what I infer is, shops like these are an important link in the chain to reach out to people at the grassroots. Also, very important for achieving our National Solar Mission's target of off-grid power supply.

The shopkeeper confessed that these products were popular among the rural audience. They have supplied these panels to many villages. He lamented how Rickshaw pullers buy these for their villages in U.P and Bihar. He felt that, the rural dwellers value these products more, since they have no electricity supply in their homes. On the other hand, since the urban audience already has access to electricity, they are not interested in buying solar devices and they find it too costly.

I don't quite agree with him, I feel its all about creating awareness and changing mindsets. For instance, an urban dweller can recover money by operational cost savings. Agreed, the initial investment is high, but it is definitely cheaper than what it used to be few years back.And why do we forget about our urban poor? The rural migrants who comprise the 'slum population' in our cities. They can benefit from these products too.

Also, if the solar rooftop policy is introduced (feeding solar power from our homes to the grid), we can completely reduce/eliminate our electricity bills by supplying equivalent amounts! It was recently scrapped by the Delhi government (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-09/delhi/31041338_1_solar-power-solar-project-solar-mission)

Unfortunately, installing solar air conditioning at our homes, is a far fetched dream. As currently designing ACs of 1-1.5 ton specification (the kind we use at homes) is not feasible. Right now, Thermax is the leader in this field and they currently design solar ACs for large scale commercial purpose like for offices and hotels, powering halls with huge capacity.

If you happen to be in Old Dilli, do visit these shops. The one I visited was:

Makhija Electronics, Shop No. 768, Old Lajpat Rai Market, Delhi-6. Contact No. 9810165781